Spice: Cinnamon (reddish brown), Tumeric (bright yellow), Ginger (pale yellow), Green Peppercorn, Chili Red
Jewel Colors: Emerald Green, Sapphire Blue, Amethyst Purple, Ruby Red
Chelsea by Sharon Chan
Sharon used a solid ocean blue cardstock as the base for this Indian-inspired layout. Her choice of bright pink, green and orange color accents was inspired by the vivid look of Indian saris. When coupled with the screen-printed transparencies from Hambly Studios resembling Indian prints and textiles, the Indian feel is complete.
Supply Credits Cardstock: WorldWin; Transparencies: Hambly Studios; Letter stickers: American Crafts; Bling: Heidi Swapp
Indian Princess by Nishi Varshnei
This bold layout showcases the spice colors of India and the adept use of recycled fabric. In this project Nishi had some leftover fabric that matched the dress worn by her daughter in the picture. A perfect case of environmental scrapbooking!
Supply Credits Cardstock; Indian cotton fabric; Computer journaling
Focus by Nishi Varshnei
The tourmaline pink in the background of the patterned paper coordinate with the pink Indian clothes in the picture. The layout uses the complementary accents of green and teal.
Supply Credits Cardstock: Patterned paper: BasicGrey; Others: Letter stickers, ribbon, tags
Source It!
Autgreat source of inspiration for ethnically themed projects can be found as close as your local interior design center, import store or home design magazine. The use of brightly colored silk pillows with metallic trim is a great jumping-off point for using jewel tones. Look at the layouts in the magazines and don’t be afraid to borrow color combinations. Asian-style home décor is a great place to start your journey into scrapping Asian style.
Goddess by Kristy Harris
This layout was inspired by a photograph of an Indian shrine. The flowers, gems and vividly brilliant jewel colors highlight the dramatic nature of my daughter Kiera posing for the camera.
Supply Credits Cardstock: Bazzill; Flowers: Prima, mjdesigns; Ink: VersaMagic (bronze); Crystals: Swarovski, Making Memories; Crystal flowers: mjdesigns; Patterned paper: BasicGrey; Letter stickers: American Crafts/Thickers; Silver photo corner; Far Flung Craft; Other: Sequins
Bollywood Babes
by Wendy Steward
This layout by Wendy is an inviting example of an analogous color combination. Analogous colors are those adjacent to each other on a color wheel. The reds and oranges are a warm and inviting layout. Wendy centered the project by using cardstock strip down the middle and framing the photograph with the same color cardstock. Without this base, the colors in the photograph would be too similar to those in the photograph, and the shot would be lost in the busy patterned paper.
Supply Credits Patterned paper; Brown chipboard letters: Heidi Swapp; Velvet letters; Flowers: Prima; Brads; Paint: Making Memories
TIP When bright, vivid colors such as Indian jewel tones are used, it is often best to either ground the colors in a dark neutral such as brown or black or match them with complementary colors to give visual definition to the project.
Detail of Joy by Avina Lim. Avina’s layout features Asian floral motifs and tropically inspired colors to create this “bouquet.”
Scrapping with Asian Motifs
Lions, Dragons and Stars — Oh my!
Living and working in Asia over the past decade has given me an appreciation for indirect methods of communication. I have learned that a subtle nod from a vendor, or the way that he says “This is my best price,” means that our negotiation still has room for movement. I have also noticed that indirect communication, while very common in daily life in Asia, also extends to the art world. Asian cultures often use traditional design elements, motifs and symbols to impart meanings beyond just the simple beauty of the object. Looking closely at Asian artwork, the trained eye recognizes the similarity between Chinese, Korean and Japanese artistic patterns; and over time I have learned that the symbols used in the three cultures often have the same meanings. For example, a picture of a crane with a pine tree, both symbols of longevity by themselves, combine to mean determination, perseverance and power. So, after living in Asia I have started to recognize these symbols and realize that there is much being said through art.
Thinking about motifs and their meanings from the scrapbooking perspective, wouldn’t it be cool to create beautiful layouts that also hold significant meanings based on the design itself? Art in Asia has used symbols—either animals, plants or combinations of them as well as geometric designs—to act as both a visual stimulation and a medium of communication. In this chapter I will introduce you to a number of types of motifs and designs as well as explain the meanings behind them in Asian culture. I will also show how to incorporate these elements into your projects in order to add symbolic meanings to your projects and add a new dimension to your scrapbook pages.
Good Fortune and Luck
Chinese Motifs for Wealth, Health and Love
Let me tell you about Cathay, a fantastic land in China that existed during the eighteenth century. Filled with mystical forests, parks, poets, intellectuals and artists, Cathay caught the attention of the Europeans. In this land, Chinese intellectuals, known as mandarins, lounged or painted in bamboo pavilions and walked in gardens filled with dragons, phoenixes and other mythical beasts. Cathay was overflowing with beautiful women and intelligent men with nothing better to do than create wondrous art and literature. Of course, Cathay was a figment of the imagination, nothing more than the interpretation of stories told by Marco Polo and other adventurers who traveled to the exotic East. But the magical land of Cathay did create Chinoiserie—a revolution in design and style starting as early as the late 1600s and continuing on through the early 1800s in cultured Europe and its colonies.
The term Chinoiserie, meaning “the Chinese style,” was coined by the French royalty in the seventeenth century to describe this new design style. As with many other trends, the court’s adoption of the style and its fascination with the Eastern aesthetic lead to its popularity throughout the rest of Europe. Chinoiserie was so universally accepted from the late 1600s through the end of the 1700s that elements of the style could be found in homes as grand as Louis XV’s Versailles as well as in the average home in colonial America. The Chinoiserie style is generally identified by the use of certain patterns and motifs, including stylized trees with birds and flowers, pavilions, dragons and phoenixes. And of course the use of bamboo as a background is a classic Chinoiserie technique. When these motifs are paired with traditional Chinese colors—combinations such as yellow and blue or yellow and red—the effect becomes even
